Comments on the Department of Labor's Draft Overtime Rules

Comments on the Department of Labor's Draft Overtime Rules

On March 13, 2014, President Obama issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Labor to make changes to the regulations governing exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime pay requirements for executive, administrative and professional employees. ACE joined CUPA-HR and 16 other higher education organizations in submitting comments on the proposed changes, which were issued July 6.

Under the current regulations, an individual is classified as a “white collar” employee exempt from federal overtime pay requirements if paid a salary of at least $23,600 annually and has duties that require independent judgment and discretion. Under the proposed rules, the salary threshold would be raised significantly so that current exempt employees making less than $50,440 in 2016 would no longer be “exempt,” requiring that they be paid on an hourly basis and entitled to overtime pay. The proposed rules would also require that this threshold level be raised annually. ​​​

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​A federal district judge in Texas last week at least temporarily blocked the Department of Labor’s overtime rule set to go into effect Dec. 1, a decision that could have a substantial impact on colleges and universities.